Toscani’s Cafe Bar and Restaurant

LOCATION
Attached to the back of Westfield Chermside.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
It’s good to have a local that meets the tastes of the entire family and offers decadent dishes and variety without stealing your wallet. In this respect Toscani’s Cafe Bar and Restaurant has developed a reputation as a reliable, casual outer-city favourite. Its roots stem from Tuscany and its diverse breakfast, lunch and dinner menu focuses on traditional Italian and Mediterranean food. In the morning it covers the standards that we’ve come to expect, such as scrabbled eggs and pancakes, then adds individual flare with dishes like the “Mediterranean breakfast” – grilled haloumi cheese, wilted spinach, tomato bruschetta and poached eggs drizzled with pesto on toasted crunchy Turkish bread.

A menu of lightly toasted Turkish breads tells a tempting tale of fillings at lunch time. We tried “Luigi’s” which captivated with chicken tenderloins, roasted capsicum, eggplant, semi-dried tomatoes, cheese, lettuce and a guilty, creamy mayonnaise. Salads offer a lighter alternative and, in Italian style, all of your favourite pastas, risottos and pizzas also make an appearance – many can even be made gluten free. We opted for the fettuccini matricciana which swims in a napolitana sauce with bacon, mushrooms, pepperoni, capsicum and a bite of chilli; and also the chicken risotto, with pumpkin and corn in a creamy white wine sauce. Once the meals were over the bowls made their way back to the kitchen licked clean – a fitting ending.

Katharine Chapman